Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Saturday said the calamity at Uttarakhand is not a man-made disaster. But environmentalists have a different story to tell.They say the magnitude of destruction and tragedy at the Himalayas has been an impending disaster created by man over th

Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Saturday said the calamity at Uttarakhand is not a man-made disaster. But environmentalists have a different story to tell.

They say the magnitude of destruction and tragedy at the Himalayas has been an impending disaster created by man over the years and the trend will only increase from here on, said professor Maharaja K. Pandit, director of Centre for Inter disciplinary Studies of Mountain & Hill Environmental, DU.

Graphic by Sarfaraz

"The tragedy at hand is man-made. Human actions leading to environmental alterations have only aggravated the problem and reduced the natural defence of dealing with such calamities," said Pandit.

"Before this, a large scale flooding in the Himalayas were seen once in 100 years. But that periodicity has started to shrink and will do so as years go by," Pandit said, adding that it will lead to increased incidents in the mountains.

He said over the years, the Himalayan region has seen major demographic alterations in the form of deforestation, more settlements, road expansions and climate change.

"The extent of deforestation in the region has made it extremely vulnerable. Whenever there is heavy rainfall, it leads to gully formations culminating into flash floods," said Pandit. "The existing forest lands are unable to hold the water coming down the slope," Pandit further added.

The rapid urbanisation and increased movements of pilgrims to the area aggravate the problem.

"The mountains have a certain carrying capacity. A place where there should be 10,000 to 15, 000 settlements is now flooded with lakhs of pilgrims," said Pandit. To accommodate those means, shanty towns and hotel constructions near river banks which directly endanger lives, said experts.

"Traditionally homes in hilly areas are made from wood and stone. But building patterns have shifted to RCC structures," said Pandit.

"It is a known fact that RCC structures lead to heat island effect that raises temperatures. Thus local warming of environment and then macro level increase in temperatures are culminating to more rains and glacier melting," Pandit added.

According to environmentalists, the Himalayas being a young mountain range is not only undergoing major tectonic movements but also a rapid climate change. They said the rate of change in the Himalayas is more than any other mountain range in the world is experiencing.

Gujarat CM not allowed to land

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was denied landing permission in Kedarnath. The Union home ministry had issued instruction not to allow landing of choppers carrying VIPs in Kedarnath. Modi, accompanied by former Uttarakhand Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri, conducted aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Uttarakhand on Saturday.

Meanwhile, two statements by Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, each within a span of 24 hours that there was lack of coordination among agencies carrying out rescue work in Uttarakhand, left the government red-faced. An embarrassed government rushed in to clarify the position. Information and Broadcasting Minister Maneesh Tewari said, "All agencies are working in a coordinated manner. I would like to emphasise that there is complete coordination."

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